Informational only, not legal advice. ADU rules change often and differ by city. Confirm with your local planning department before you rely on anything here.
Los Angeles is rewriting its ADU rules. The Los Angeles ADU ordinance update, a draft amendment to LAMC 12.22 A.33 dated September 3, 2026, is part of City Planning's Missing Middle LA package (case CPC-2025-4421-CA). It would bring the city's 2019 ordinance in line with state law, let owners sell ADUs as condominiums under AB 1033, and add a local ADU Bonus Program that goes past what the state requires, including up to six ADUs on some lots. A hearing officer took public testimony on October 1, 2026, and written comments closed October 16. It is not law yet.
Nothing changes on your permit today: the current city ordinance and state ADU law still govern. But if you own a larger lot in a higher-opportunity part of the city, or a lot near transit, the draft could add one to several more units than you can build now. If your project can wait a few months, it may be worth designing with the bonus in mind. Check the final text before you commit; drafts change.
Why LA is updating its ADU rules now
ADUs are the city's most productive small-scale housing type. City Planning says more than 45,000 ADUs have been permitted in Los Angeles since 2017, about 7,400 of them in 2025 alone. But the local ordinance dates from 2019, and state law has been rewritten almost every year since. Homeowners end up reading two codes at once.
It travels with new SB 9 and Starter Home ordinances. First drafts came out in June 2026, second drafts in September.
The Los Angeles ADU Bonus Program
The biggest change is a local bonus menu. Under the draft, a project gets one of the following benefits:
- Extra height. Three more feet on top of the state height limits for a detached ADU, capped at 23 feet.
- Setback flexibility for conversions. A detached ADU created by converting, rebuilding or expanding an existing garage or accessory structure can combine the city's and the state's setback allowances.
- A floor for attached ADUs. Floor area limits could not shrink an attached ordinance ADU below 850 square feet, or 1,000 square feet with more than one bedroom.
- SB 9 plus an ADU. An SB 9 two-unit development could add an attached ADU, as long as the site has no more than one detached ADU.
- Bonus ADUs, recorded by affidavit, described below.
Opportunity ADU: one more unit on lots of 7,500 square feet or more
A lot of at least 7,500 square feet in a Higher Opportunity Area, outside a Fire Restriction Area, could add one more ADU of any type.
Affordable ADU Bonus: up to six ADUs
On a parcel in a Transit Priority Area that is also mapped as a Moderate or Higher Opportunity Area, an owner who deed-restricts at least one ADU as affordable could build one ADU or JADU per 1,500 square feet of lot area, up to six, plus the main house. A 7,500-square-foot lot would get five; a 9,000-square-foot lot, six. Each unit is capped at 1,200 square feet, and the project still has to meet height, yard, lot coverage and encroachment plane rules. It is not available in Fire Restriction Areas, Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, or the A and RA zones.
Selling an ADU as a condo in Los Angeles
AB 1033 (2023) lets cities opt in to selling an ADU separately from the main house as a condominium. LA's draft opts in. To record a condo plan, the owner would need:
- written consent from every lienholder (your lender can say no);
- a safety inspection, through a certificate of occupancy or a HUD housing quality standards report;
- written approval from an existing homeowners association, where there is one;
- for tenant-occupied units, notice, a right to purchase and relocation assistance.
See our AB 1033 guide. The price of a separately sold ADU is an estimate until you have a title company and a lender on board.
Other changes worth knowing
- Deadlines in the code. The city would have to say whether an application is complete within 15 business days and approve or deny within 60 days, or the permit is deemed approved. That matches state law, and after the Palos Verdes Estates damages ruling, cities have new reasons to meet it.
- Size and placement. A detached ordinance ADU stays at 1,200 square feet and two stories. It could sit in front of the house where at least half of the house is in the rear 35% of the lot.
- Movable Tiny Houses. One per lot, up to two stories, connected to water and sewer.
- Hillside fire areas. Following City Council direction, the draft expands limits on ADUs in the city's hillside fire zones. If you are in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in a Hillside Area, check with City Planning before you design.
What we recommend for LA homeowners
If you are building one ADU, or the ADU-plus-JADU combinations state law already guarantees, there is no reason to wait. LADBS's free 455-square-foot YOU-ADU plan is still available, and state law, including AB 956's two detached ADUs from January 1, 2027, already sets the floor.
If your lot is 7,500 square feet or more, or near a major transit stop, run the numbers both ways. The bonus units are where this draft changes a project's economics, and the draft's option to add an attached ADU to an SB 9 two-unit project goes past what SB 9 alone allows. Parcy shows your lot size, zoning and the state pathways that apply; check the bonus program against the final ordinance once the City Planning Commission and City Council act. This is not legal advice, and a land-use attorney or your architect should confirm what your lot qualifies for.
Frequently asked questions
Is the new Los Angeles ADU ordinance in effect?
No. It is a draft dated September 3, 2026. After the October 1, 2026 public hearing, City Planning will send a recommendation report to the City Planning Commission, and the City Council has to adopt it. The current LAMC 12.22 A.33 and state ADU law apply until then.
How many ADUs can I build in Los Angeles?
Today, state ADU law sets the baseline (an ADU plus a JADU, more combinations on many lots). Under the draft's Affordable ADU Bonus, a qualifying lot near transit in a moderate- or higher-opportunity area could have one ADU or JADU per 1,500 square feet of lot area, up to six, if one is deed-restricted affordable.
Can I sell my ADU as a condo in Los Angeles?
Not yet. AB 1033 lets cities opt in to separate ADU condominium sales, and LA's draft would opt in, with lienholder consent, a safety inspection, HOA approval where one exists and tenant protections.
What is an Opportunity ADU in Los Angeles?
A bonus in the draft: one additional ADU of any type on a lot of 7,500 square feet or more in a Higher Opportunity Area that is not in a Fire Restriction Area.
Official bill text
- AB 1033 — Accessory dwelling units: local ordinances: separate sale or conveyance. (official bill text, California Legislative Information)
Sources
- Los Angeles City Planning: Draft ADU Amendment (LAMC 12.22 A.33), September 3, 2026 — ADU Bonus Program, Opportunity ADU, Affordable ADU Bonus, condominium sale, 15-day / 60-day procedures
- Los Angeles City Planning: Missing Middle LA public hearing (CPC-2025-4421-CA) — October 1, 2026 hearing; written comments through October 16, 2026; recommendation report to the City Planning Commission next
- Los Angeles City Planning: Missing Middle LA fact sheet (updated September 1, 2026) — More than 45,000 ADUs permitted since 2017, about 7,400 in 2025; first draft June 2026, second draft September 2026
- LADBS: YOU-ADU free standard plan — Free 455 sq ft one-bedroom city-owned plan
- Los Angeles ADU ordinance
- LA ADU rules 2026
- Missing Middle LA
- Los Angeles ADU bonus program
- how many ADUs can I build in Los Angeles
- sell ADU as condo Los Angeles
- Opportunity ADU
- Affordable ADU Bonus
- LAMC 12.22 A.33
- Los Angeles
Stay ahead of the next ADU bill.
New California housing bills, what they mean for your lot, and news from Parcy and Kaz Capital Group. A few emails a month.
Informational only. Not legal, architectural, or investment advice. Confirm current rules with your local planning department.